Advertisement
Published: September 1st 2007
Edit Blog Post
Monkey Man
Yes the kids did this too but I think I had the most fun with it! At some point in every person’s life they will experience deficits. Being too tired, very hungry, or just plain physically worn out. If a person is very lucky they will not experience a combination of these deficits at once. We were very excited and relieved to have arrived at our destination and perhaps we weren’t conscious of the conflux of the aforementioned conditions. Well, perhaps I should clarify. We knew we were hungry and once we had hauled our life’s possessions up the stairs to our room we inquired about where we could have lunch. Fortunately our hostess Isabel had intimate knowledge of a restaurant that was very nearby. Norman, Isabel’s husband, has a restaurant called Jalapeños within walking distance. Without hesitation we were off on our firt excursion in Costa Rica.
We like Mexican and Latin American food and if our first meals in Costa Rica are any indication of what we can expect I will have to get back on the exercise program sooner than later. I had one of the best fajitas and could have eaten Nataghia’s quesadilla if she wasn’t protecting it so carefully. Owen’s guacamole and chips were delicious as well but he wasn’t too
Squirrel Monkey
These baby squirrel monkeys are very entertaining. We will see them without the cages very soon. These ones have been saved and will be reintroduced into the wild when they are a bit older. keen on sharing either. Of course Benjamin tried the traditional dish of hot dogs, but who could blame him after all we put him through over the past 48 hours or so. After our late lunch we headed back to the hotel. We were all feeling full and lazy and upon hitting the beds we all fell into our first siesta of our trip. After our sleep we visited a while with some of the other guests and we were ready to venture out again. We headed out to the parquet central to see the heart of Alajuela. Upon arriving at the park we heard choral singing and the evening was perfect. The boys were getting tired and hungry again and at the opposite side of the park Nataghia spotted a familiar glow in the distance. Yes, the traditional town square/park in Alajuela with the standard Catholic cathedral on the East and fountain in the center also has it’s very own golden arches. We decided to appease the boys and had some home cooking at Mickey D’s.
After an early bedtime we woke fully rested and ready for adventure. Upon the recommendation of Isabel we headed out to Zoo
Toucan Sam?
The toucan turned its head just as I snapped this picture. Who knew they were self-conscious about the size of their beaks. Ave. This zoo is different because it is a rehabilitation center for birds and other animals which are either orphaned or injured as a result of poaching and development. The boys really enjoyed seeing all the different kinds of birds and monkeys. There is about 8,500 species of birds in Costa Rica and we saw many of the most popular as they are also very popular and pets and victims of the black market. The boys were most impressed by the squirrel monkey, who in addition to being to being at the most risk for extinction, were also the most willing to put on a show.
After the zoo we went to find a nearby restaurant that was recommended by Isabel. After confirming the location from a worker at the zoo we were off walking in search of a mel served on a banana leaf. We walked uphill in the noon heat on a road with no sidewalk for about two kilometers before deciding to ask if we were getting close. Apparently we were walking in the wrong direction and we had experienced our first Costa Rican calamity. Apparently “face” is very important in Costa Rica and if a person doesn’t know the answer to your question they will tell you something, anything, other than I don’t know, just to save face. We discovered we were now three kilometers away from our desired destination. Fortunately we were at a small store right next to the bus stop. We bought some water and about ten seconds later the bus arrived. We jumped on and paid $2.50 for the whole family and made it back to the center of Alajuela in ten minutes. Now, where to eat? Upon leaving the bus terminal we found a rockin’ taverna with chickens roasting over a fire on a spit. We grabbed a table and ordered up a whole chicken quartered with fries, pickled cauliflower and carrots, two cokes and two beers. Delicious and the grand total…..$11. You gotta love it. After lunch we made our way back to the hotel where we chilled out with the other guests gleaning information off of the more experienced Costa Rican travelers. After our nice quiet evening we decided that our next days adventure would be to San Jose and the Museum of Gold and Children’s Museum. We are all feeling great and enjoying the pura vida...thanks for the comments and remember if you want to read from the beginning just click on the Nowlan and Dore picture at the beginning. Don't worry we have more pictures of Alajuela to post but I'm short on time at the moment...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.101s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 14; qc: 55; dbt: 0.0596s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Monique
non-member comment
Wow! I am definitely jealous of you guys, "calamaties" and all! It sounds like you are having quite the adventure so far, I love reading about everything! This travel blog is definitely a good idea! .. Oh ya! I got the disk, thank you again! .. and I realized after I received it, that it was probably at the bottom of some box mixed in with all your stuff! Sorry for the trouble! ..But thank you again, I'm happy to hear that everyones enjoying the experience! Lots of love, - Monique